


Running For Your Life

by TheBrunetteWeasley



Category: Zombies Run!
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-10
Updated: 2014-03-10
Packaged: 2018-01-15 06:37:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1295125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBrunetteWeasley/pseuds/TheBrunetteWeasley
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When your helo lands, the only thing keeping you company is the radio operator in your headset. By following his instructions, you'll stay alive. Abel Township offers a new life, a new family, maybe even new love. You just have to get there. Following Runner Five's story from the first time we meet them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Running For Your Life

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own Zombies Run. I feel that should be mentioned.

“You ready?” The Commander inspects your flight suit, ensuring that it looks pristine. “You know what to do when you arrive in Abel, correct?”

“Yes, Sir. Project Greenshoot is need to know only. I'll have my briefing from the Major when I arrive in the Township.” You reply. You're looking forward to this mission. They've finally decided that you're worth allowing on a mission. You pull the helmet over your head, and climb into the helicopter, ducking under the whirring rotor blades. The cargo area near the back is only about half full, but you've been told that Abel Township is only a small settlement, so you're not worried that this helo is a lot emptier than most that go out.

Your pilot, Adele is polite and professional, but extremely chatty. You nod at her, but don't properly respond. What's the point in that?

“Abel Township, Abel Township, this is Jolly Alpha Five Niner, from Mullins military base. We're five miles out, approaching from the east at one thousand one hundred feet. We're carrying med supplies, vacpacks, shelters and a temporary loan of one of our people. Abel Township, Jolly Five Niner requesting to land.”

The static comes over the radio for a second, before the Abel Township communication head replies. “Yeah, eh, got that. Er, I mean, Roger that. You're clear to, em...yeah, come on in.”

You and Adele exchange an eye roll at his unprofessionalism.

“Roger that, Abel Township. Heading down now.”

Adele turns off the broadcast on the mikes, but leaves the reception open just in case. Not one to know when to be quiet, she begins to speak again.

“I can see clear as day that we don't have half the supplies we usually bring. I know, you don't know anything. Project Greenshoot? Need to know basis? A briefing to follow at Abel? Sorry, I couldn't help hearing when you boarded. Then you'll find out what your mission really is” Adele stops for a moment, before continuing.

“You know, maybe if you and I pooled info, we could help – THEY'RE SHOOTING! That's not coming from the township. Who the hell has a rocket launcher in this centre? Who the hell?!”

You're rocked forward as the blast hits. Adele starts screaming into the microphone, but all you can think about is your training. You grab the parachute pack from under your seat and strap it to your back. You've done BASE jumps before, you can do it. You jump from the side of the helo, and almost immediately you pull the cord, releasing the silk and jarring you upright, instead of horizontally. It takes you about ten seconds to land. As you do, you see the helo crash a few hundred yards away. The Abel Township coms guy is still talking into your earpiece. You try speaking, but realize your mike detached in the fall.

“I'm Sam Yao. I'm just a radio operator...I'm not meant to deal with this. Oh well. You've landed in a nest of hostiles. There's thirty...no forty. Your only safe path is the tower, you should be able to see it. Just run. RUN!” You hear the low groan of a zombie behind you, and you pull off the parachute pack, knowing it'll only slow you down, regardless of how important the silk may be. You begin to run towards the tower, suddenly thankful for the 5k training you've had before.

It doesn't take long for you to outpace the shamblers. You grab a branch, and use it to clear the path ahead of you. A crawler comes close to grabbing your ankle, but a swift hit to the back of the skull breaks it open, leaking rotting body matter on the ground.

It's not long until Sam reappears in your earpiece. “There's someone alive out there! Well, running person, if you can hear me, you're going great. The main group's behind you, and you're going to come out of this forest soon. But there's...yeah. Well, I can't think of a phrase that's not “small army of zombies”. Sorry, don't do well under massive pressure. There's a ...one of those, directly to the east. So, if you head towards the old sawmill – you should be able to see its massive red signs from where you are – You can hear me! It's cool we can bring you in.” Sam sounds happy, but his voice changes, and sounds like he's talking to someone behind him.

“I can't ask them that. They could be injured!”

“All the more reason to ask them that!” A woman's voice appears in your ear. “This is Doctor Myers, only medic here at Abel Township. Lord knows I'm sorry to ask you this, but your route will take you almost past the old hospital. We know there are medical kits still there from the first wave of infection. If you could pick up even one or two, that would help us.”

“It's too dangerous. You know what happened to Runner Five!” Sam interjects. It sounds like he just wants to get you to Abel. The doctor, however, disagrees.

“The zoms have all followed the noise of that crash.”

“But what about whoever fired that rocket launcher?!”

“If someone wants to kill that runner, taking an unusual route will make it even harder, not easier. I don't want to be hardheaded, but everyone in this township earns their keep. You should be able to see Robinson Hospital now. One of the buildings, Gryphon Tower, It's the tallest in the abandoned city. And if you can't find anything...we might not be able to let you in when you get here.” The doctor's voice is cool, almost too casual. You reckon she's lying, but there's no point in risking staying out there where the zombies are, where you can be in an actual building, with people, and no zombies. Although even a blanket would be some protection.

You continue jogging. There's no moans coming from behind you, but you continue to step quietly. It's now that the ballet training from your childhood really comes in handy. In your huge boots, you should make enough noise to raise the dead – literally. Instead you're able to step lightly, avoiding the majority of the tree branches. The ones you do step on are small, and barely make a crack.

The city rises up out of the trees like a mirage. It used to be huge, filled with over a million people. Now it's an empty shell, with blood spattered outer walls, and probably corpse filled inners. If you had your way, you wouldn't even bother to enter it. But if it means you get to live somewhere, rather than turn... As you think that, you put your hand to your hip, double checking that your gun is there. If you end up bitten, you know what to do. Everyone knows what to do if they're bitten in the field. It's generally why people go out in groups.

As you reach the city, your radio comes to life again. “Ok...ok. That's great, you're making good time. No broken legs, I guess.” You smile at the operator's voice. He's managing to remain optimistic about this, despite the helo with food being blown up, and not knowing if you've been bitten or not. This Sam guy seems like one of the good ones, for once.

“Eh...listen. I'm going to call you Runner Five. Because, well, I don't know your name. And we just lost a runner. In that same hospital you're running through now. She was so fast. And really funny. Me and her, we sort of...” Sam trails off, leaving a sigh. Poor guy. The apocalypse happening was bad enough, but finding someone and then they become a zom after it? That had to be the worst. You let him go on for a moment, tuning him out slightly, until he gave you some information about where you were going.

“Your pace is good, but maybe make your way through the ground floor of the hospital. There's a little swarm I don't like the look of forming in the parking lot.” You modify your course, and Sam encourages you on again. “Yeah, that's it. You can even pick up anything interesting you pass. We think there might be some, well, we sent the old Runner Five in there looking for some file the doc's interested in. You know, if you find anything official looking running around.”

Sam signs off for a moment, and leaves you to run. You duck under the peeling quarantine tape, and search the A&E department. There's med packs, and you pick up a couple. You find a backpack abandoned in a corner, and you shove any supplies that look important in it.

The nurses' station looks like the ideal place for an official looking file, and you quickly search it, aware of the moans outside getting slightly louder. Finally you see a box on the floor. It's grey, with a familiar CDC logo. You grab the handle sticking out of the top of it. Raiding the first aid cart in the corridor, you grab bandages and antiseptic. A few packs of paracetamol round out your haul, and you're rather glad you've remembered to grab some.

As you're going through the hospital, Sam pops back into your ear. “Hey, there you are! I've got you on camera now. You're kind of blurry, though.” You spot a working camera in the corner of the room and wave up with your free hand, giving a smile. He notices your box, and calls over the doctor – Myers?

“Runner Five, I don't say this lightly, but that box could be worth your life to protect. Don't drop it.” She and Sam argue over the possible implications that this box could have for everyone, as you keep going through things, picking up supplies. You find some clothing in a box, and it's miraculously clean, so you throw it into your bag. Two sports bras, three shirts, a few pairs of jeans, there's even some male and female underwear. Sam gets your attention back with a mumbled curse.

“Oh, ugh, no. This is what happened to her when we sent her out. This is what happened. They're following you, Runner Five. The swarm from the car park, they're following you! RUN!” Sam yells into your headset. You see the first zombie just metres away from you, and you take Sam's instructions. You can see the defence tower at Abel, it's barely a kilometre and a half away. You can do this, even carrying as much as you are.

You manage to leave many of the zoms behind, but a couple are sprinters, and can almost keep up with you. Sam keeps talking to you, trying to understand why they're so fast. The Doctor tells you to keep running, and put on a burst of speed. Suddenly, Sam lets out a groan. “Oh, god, I can see her...it's Alice. It's the old Runner Five. She's the one chasing you. She's...she's still wearing her headset.” Seeing the zombified body of the woman he was so obviously in love with, still wearing her headset, still able to hear him, seemed to make Sam lose it. A new voice interjects before he starts to cry.

“Runner Five, it's Runner Seven here, head of Runners. The doctor's told me you found something useful in the hospital. We're sending out a couple of people to bring you in. Just keep running.”

You hear gunfire break out over your head, and you continue running. Ignoring everyone speaking to you in your headset, you just make for the gates, trying to ignore the moan coming from just behind you. When you've less than fifty metres to go, the gates finally open, and the moan from behind you is cut short. You run in, immediately surrounded by people.


End file.
